The invention concerns a camera having a transport device for stepwise transport of a film in each case by the length of a respective picture, wherein the transport device includes a film take-up shaft which is driven by way of a winding reel on which a pull element, preferably a cord, is wound, on which film take-up shaft the film can be wound from a film supply spool, in particular from an inserted film cartridge.
In photographic cameras it is usual for the film strip which is rolled up in a condition of being protected from light in film cartridges to be transported with a stepwise movement out of the film cartridge past an exposure window onto a film take-up shaft. In the known cameras transportation of the film is usually effected by manual actuation of a winding wheel or a winding lever or by means of an electric motor.
Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,663 discloses an endoscope camera in which transportation of the film is effected by way of a bottom cable arrangement including an actuating lever. It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,333 in relation to an endoscope camera for the film to be advanced by means of a pull element which passes outwardly along an endoscope, wherein the free end of the pull element is connected to a winding wheel mounted on the endoscope so that transportation of the film is effected by a rotary movement at that winding wheel. Both U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,602 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,977 describe transport devices in endoscope cameras in which the film is transported with a stepwise movement.
The object of the invention is to provide a novel camera which has a transport mechanism which is simple to operate.
In accordance with the invention that is attained in that the free end of the pull element projects into the open through an opening in the housing of the camera and the film is transported stepwise by the length of a picture by pulling on the pull element, wherein the winding reel is adapted for automatically winding on the pull element after transport of the film by the length of a picture.
In a camera of such a design configuration therefore, between the individual exposures, film transport is effected over the length of a picture by pulling on a pull element, for example a cord. In that respect, the term length of a picture is used to denote the film advance between two exposures, namely the sum of the length of the exposed negative (for example 36 mm) and the usual intermediate space between the exposed negatives.
German patent specification DE 195 22 742 admittedly discloses a photographic camera in which, prior to exposure of the film strip, the entire film strip is wound onto the film winding-on spool in one pull from the film cartridge by pulling on a cord which is wound on a drum connected to the film winding-on reel, and the cord is removed from the camera after the winding-on operation has been effected. That camera however does not involve stepwise transport of the film by way of a cord between the exposures. That is effected in that casexe2x80x94as is usualxe2x80x94by way of a hand wheel.
The camera according to the invention is preferably in the form of a disposable camera which is already fitted with a photographic film by the camera manufacturer and which, after exposure thereof, together with the film strip, is sent to a developing laboratory for development of the film. As the cord is wound onto the winding reel again after each film winding-on operation, the length of the cord does not need to correspond to the length of a filmxe2x80x94a 24xc3x9736 mm film is about 90 cm long. It is sufficient if the cord is of such a length that it can transport the film by the length of a picture, for example 36 mm plus the spacing between negatives.
In order to make handling of the camera according to the invention as simple as possible for the user, a further advantageous embodiment of the invention can provide that a holding element, for example a ring, is arranged at the free end of the cord.